Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An apparatus for processing substrates, said apparatus comprising: a transfer chamber comprising a robot therein; a plasma immersion ion implantation chamber (PIII) coupled to said transfer chamber; a controlled cleaving process (CCP) chamber adapted to provide energy to a selected region of a substrate to initiate a controlled cleaving action, the CCP chamber adapted to provide energy from a thermal source or sink, a mechanical source, a chemical source, or an electrical source, and at least a third chamber coupled to said transfer chamber, whereby the transfer chamber permits a plurality of process steps on a plurality of wafers in the other chambers without breaking vacuum.
2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second chamber is selected from a CVD chamber, an etch chamber, a PVD chamber, a thermal annealing chamber, a bonding chamber, a CMP chamber, a thermal treatment chamber, an epitaxial deposition chamber, and a plasma treatment chamber.
3. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus is a cluster tool.
4. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said PIII chamber includes multiple sources.
5. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said PIII chamber is adopted to introduce particles through a surface of a substrate to a selected depth underneath said surface, said particles being at a concentration at said selected depth to define a substrate material to be removed above said selected depth.
6. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said PIII chamber is coupled to a source, said source is selected from hydrogen gas, helium gas, water vapor, methane, and hydrogen compounds, and other light atomic mass particles.
7. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said chemical source is selected from particles, fluids, gases, or liquids.
8. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said chemical source provides a chemical reaction.
9. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said chemical source is flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.
10. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mechanical source is selected from a rotational source, translational source, compressional source, expansional source, or ultrasonic source.
11. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mechanical source is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.
12. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein electrical source is selected from an applied voltage or an applied electro-magnetic field.
13. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrical source is flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.
14. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said thermal source or sink is selected from radiation, convection, or conduction.
15. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said thermal source is selected from a photon beam, a fluid jet, a liquid jet, a gas jet, an electro/magnetic field, a gas jet, an electron beam, a thermo-electric heating, and a furnace.
16. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said thermal sink is selected from a fluid jet, a liquid jet, a gas jet, a cryogenic fluid, a super-cooled liquid, a thermo-electric cooling means, and an electro/magnetic field.
17. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said thermal source or sink is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.
18. Apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a third chamber coupled to said transfer chamber, said third chamber being selected from a CVD chamber, an etch chamber, a PVD chamber, a thermal annealing chamber, a bonding chamber, a CMP chamber, a thermal treatment chamber, an epitaxial deposition chamber, and a plasma treatment chamber.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
Unknown
March 27, 2001
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